Ford reported net income of $1.6 billion, or 40 cents a share. Excluding one-time items, the per-share profit was 31 cents, exceeding the 25-cent average estimate of 19 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. The result compared with net income of $13.6 billion, or $3.40 a share, a year earlier, when a tax gain boosted fourth-quarter earnings.

Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally is using Ford’s turnaround in the U.S. to guide efforts to recover in Europe more quickly than competitors including General Motors Co. Rising demand for F-Series trucks in Ford’s home market paced a record $8.34 billion annual pretax profit for the company’s operations in North America, which countered overseas losses. Ford U.S. hourly workers will receive profit-sharing bonuses.

“I’m still bullish on Ford,” said Gary Bradshaw, a fund manager for Dallas-based Hodges Capital Management, which sold about half of its shares before they started to rally in late October. “I’m going to hang on and hope it comes back to $18 a share.” Ford closed at $13.78 yesterday in New York.

Ford reported net income of $5.67 billion for the full year. The profit in 2012 boosts the company’s earnings to $35.2 billion the past four years after losing $30.1 billion from 2006 through 2008.

Monday, January 28, 2013

NABERN, Germany -- Daimler, Ford and Nissan joined forces today to develop a
line of affordable fuel-cell cars for sale starting in 2017 in what could be the
first major advance for the promising zero-emission technology.
The three automakers,in
a statement, said the new alliance sends a clear signal to
suppliers, policymakers and the industry to encourage the further development of
hydrogen infrastructure worldwide.
"We believe we were never as close to reaching a breakthrough in fuel-cell
cars as today thanks to this partnership," Daimler AG research and development
chief Thomas Weber said.
The partners are targeting production of at least 100,000 cars, Weber said
today at a press conference in Germany. The manufacturers will invest equal
amounts in the project to develop fuel-cell stacks and systems, they said in the
statement, without giving details.
Toyota Motor Corp. and BMW AG announced a partnership on Jan. 24 to develop
fuel-cell systems, in addition to cooperation in other areas including
light-weight technologies and a common sports-car platform.
Fuel cells produce electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen, evaporating
water as emissions when the car is driven. Compared to electric vehicles powered
by batteries, fuel-cell cars have a range close to combustion engine vehicles
and fueling time is comparable to filling up a gasoline tank.
Nissan Motor Co. won't take a stake in the existing joint venture Automotive
Fuel Cell Corp. between Daimler and Ford Motor Co. to avoid time-consuming
contract negotiations, said Herbert Kohler, Daimler's head of future
technology.
Joint developments allow the manufacturers to share costs and achieve higher
volumes once production starts.
"We can proceed quicker as we can develop around the clock," Weber said. The
project will use the partners' existing development centers in Detroit, Tokyo,
Vancouver and Daimler's hometown of Stuttgart, Germany.
Each partner will market its own branded vehicles, probably starting with
front-wheel-drive models, Weber said.
"This powertrain is the start of a modular strategy," he said. "It has to be
adaptable into several models."
The partnership is open to other manufacturers, including Nissan's French
global alliance partner, Renault SA, Weber said.
Daimler is skipping an intermediate step of fuel-cell technology development
that was originally planned for 2014 with smaller numbers of cars, Weber said.
Daimler currently has a test fleet of about 200 fuel-cell cars.

Friday, January 28, 2011

DETROIT -- Ford Motor Co. today posted a $6.56 billion profit for 2010, its highest annual net income in more than a decade, fueled by improved products and pricing.But its fourth-quarter profit plunged, due to actions to pay down debt that Ford took on before the financial crisis hit.

The automaker also confronted rising costs for launching new vehicles and suffered an unexpected loss in Europe.

“We're in transition mode now,” Ford CFO Lewis Booth said during a media briefing today, predicting that 2011 will be more profitable than 2010. “We've fixed the fundamentals of the business. I think the thing that pleases us immensely is the improvement in the balance sheet.”

Thursday, January 27, 2011

DETROIT (Bloomberg) -- Ford Motor Co. may report its most profitable year since 2000 tomorrow, boosted by new models and a better reputation. The annual profit would be the second straight for CEO Alan Mulally, who has improved quality and expanded the model lineup.

Ford, according to an analyst survey conducted by Thomson Reuters, is expected to generate a fourth-quarter pretax profit of about 48 cents a share on revenue of $30.57 billion. On that basis, the company would post profits of about $1.7 billion for the fourth quarter and $8 billion for all of 2010.

Ford posted $6.37 billion in net income during the first nine months of the year -- the most since 1998 and more than any other automaker. In 2009, Ford posted annual net income of $2.72 billion on revenue of $118.31 billion.

“Ford is building better cars, they're more fuel-efficient and they've really focused on quality since Alan Mulally came in,” said Gary Bradshaw, a fund manager at Dallas-based Hodges Capital Management, which owns 100,000 Ford common shares and 100,000 preferred shares. “He's just making this company a money machine.”

The estimates for quarterly and 2010 profit exclude items such as a $960 million charge Ford planned to take in the fourth quarter because of a plan to pay investors in its convertible debt to swap their notes for shares. Profit excluding items was 9 cents a share in 2009.

Ford shares rose 68 percent in 2010 and have gained 9.4 percent this year on the New York Stock Exchange. Ford, battered by $30 billion in losses over three years, fell to a close of $1.26 on Nov. 19, 2008, as rising fuel prices and the financial crisis led to a collapse in auto sales. The shares rose 48 cents, or 2.7 percent, to $18.37 yesterday.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Ford (F) and Honda (HMC) owners, more than those of any others, are opting to get another vehicle of the same brand.

Both brands topped J.D. Power's latest Customer Retention Study, which was based on 123,601 responses from new-car buyers. In 81,350 of those cases, the car being replaced had also been purchased new by that owner.

Sixty-two percent of Ford and Honda owners remained with those brands, while Kia (KIMTF.PK) was the most improved overall in retention. According to the survey, this year 58 percent purchased another Kia but last year, just 37 percent were repeat buyers of the brand. Mercedes-Benz (DAI) fell by five points, to 59 percent.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Elections seldom provide perfect choices between good and evil. The first step toward informed voting lies in determining your own personal preferences as the to public problems you are most concerned with and the solutions you prefer. What solutions to current societal problems do you prefer? Should we be spending more money on schools or for national defense? Would it be better if government limited pornography or hate speech on the Internet, or is one's right to free expression more important? Is abortion a mortal sin or a right some women might choose in desperate situations? There are not "right" answers to these questions on which everyone agrees, so the informed voter looks for candidates who share their preferences on the issues of most importance to them. Above and beyond shared preferences, informed voters look at the personal characteristics of candidates to help determine how they will perform in office. We usually prefer candidates who are hard working, honest, moral and skillful since we are entrusting them with decisions that affect our futures.

Sorting out the information about candidates from their speeches, campaign ads, media coverage and Web sites is one of the real challenges to citizens in a democracy. Many voters use short cut aids, such as relying on a candidate's political party label. Over the years, political parties have taken relatively consistent packages of policy stands (see below). Candidates for more important offices have usually served in previous positions, making it possible to assess their policy preferences and capabilities. A number of nonpartisan Web sites (see below) provide useful information for voters. Talking with friends and relatives about politics helps define one's own outlooks and understand the available options.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Microsoft Corp. is angling for more automotive customers with a new version of Windows for the car, a move seen as reaffirming its commitment to the auto industry.

Last week the technology giant released Windows Embedded Automotive 7, which it says is about three generations ahead of the Microsoft software found in the original 2007 version of Ford Motor Co.'s Sync entertainment and information service.

The company says the latest software provides improved speech recognition; more options for sending text messages by voice; and more features to help car engineers get new technologies to market faster. "All that's left for the carmaker, or their supplier, is the work of adapting it for a particular vehicle or a particular device in the vehicle," Walter Sullivan, a senior program manager for Microsoft, told Automotive News.

Also included is a version of Microsoft Silverlight for creating richer graphics. Silverlight, a competitor of Adobe System Inc.'s Flash software, is used to add animation and multimedia functions to Web sites. Sullivan said Microsoft's aim is to speed up the pace of automotive technology introductions.

"Automotive systems traditionally take quite a while to develop -- anywhere from 18 months to three years," he said. "The complexity of the systems is substantial, and the amount of testing ... that they go through with these systems requires a significant engineering cycle."

Slightly older versions of Microsoft's software are in Ford's Sync, Kia Motors Corp.'s Uvo voice-activated technology and in a similar system for Fiat S.p.A. called Blue&Me. Nissan also uses Windows in the touch screen "information hub" on the Leaf electric sedan.

"Microsoft continues to invest in an automotive-specific platform," said Gartner Inc. analyst Thilo Koslowski. "There was some concern over the last probably six months that the company was somewhat de-emphasizing the automotive commitment because there has been some personnel change and also some organizational changes."

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Ford will fill its stable with 11 Mustangs at this year's SEMA show in Las Vegas.

The Ford stand will include nine customized 2011 Mustangs along with the 2012 Mustang Boss 302 and the 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca. The 2012 Mustang Boss 302 and Boss 302 Laguna Seca are both powered by a 440-hp, 5.0-liter V8 rated at 380 lb-ft of torque. The Laguna Seca is a stripped-down, reinforced version of the Boss 302 with improved handling. The rear seats have been replaced by an X-bar support to stiffen the chassis. Ford also upgraded the springs and the rear stabilizer bar.Other Mustangs at SEMA include:

2011 Ford Mustang GT by Ford Vehicle Personalization: This Mustang GT was designed using accessories made by Ford. The exterior includes a pedestal spoiler, side scoops and a billet grille. The Mustang GT rides on 18-inch wheels.The white-and-black interior includes inserts that resemble carbon fiber and coral accents on the steering wheel, gauge cluster and shifter knob. Ford also included coral accent lights and white material to highlight the seats, door inserts and steering wheel.

2011 Ford Mustang by Team Baurtwell: Funkmaster Flex and Team Baurtwell designed a Mustang that includes smoked taillights, a 3dCarbon body kit and NC Forged three-piece billet wheels.The chassis includes a Steeda lowering kit, sway bars and springs. Team Baurtwell also installed Baer brakes.

2011 Ford Mustang by MRT: The MRT-designed Mustang GT has carbon effects in the engine compartment and interior. It also has an upgraded performance-handling package, Baer brakes and an MRT stainless-steel exhaust.

2011 Ford Mustang by Tjin Edition: The exterior of the Tjin Edition Mustang GT includes a custom DuPont paint job, a Webasto sunroof, a Unique Fabrication metal wing, Ignited LED headlights and StreetGlow lighting. It also has an Air Lift air suspension kit, an Eibach antiroll kit and trailer arms.Read more:

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

With one more profitable quarter under its belt, 2010 is increasingly looking like Ford's big comeback year. The Dearborn automaker, which launched its turnaround plan in 2006, posted a $1.7-billion third-quarter profit Tuesday and said it is hiring workers and aggressively paying down its debt.

"We are moving from fixing the fundamentals of our business and weathering the downturn to growing the business," Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said Tuesday.

Ford's year-to-date profit now stands at $6.4 billion -- putting Ford on track for its biggest annual profit since 1998. "The company is better off than it was then," said Shelly Lombard, a credit analyst with Gimme Credit. "It can make money even with industry volume that's much lower ... and with a sales mix that is much less reliant on trucks."

That's especially true in Ford's long-troubled North American division, which has now posted its fifth consecutive profit. U.S. consumers have been willing to pay more for Ford cars because of their exclusive technology and improved quality, now on par with top Asian rivals.

Last year, Ford eked out a small profit of $2.7 billion, which resulted in bonuses for all Ford workers. With this year's profit expected to top $7 billion, they are likely to get annual bonuses next year, which would give metro Detroit's economy a boost.

Ford makes big dents in debt

Ford's ability to pay off big chunks of its debt has the company well on its way toward eliminating the biggest remaining challenge to its turnaround that it can control.

On Tuesday, the Dearborn automaker said it plans to eliminate its remaining debt to a UAW retiree health care trust with a $3.6-billion cash payment Friday. It also said it used $2 billion in cash in September to pay off some of its bank debt.

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Welcome to Fox Valley Ford and thank you for visiting our News and Information Blog. We opened for business in 1981 on Farnsworth Ave. in Aurora, IL. In 1995 we built our brand new, state-of-the-art facility in North Aurora, Illinois. Fox Valley Ford has sold vehicles to more than 30,000 Chicagoland residents and we have Serviced over 100,000 vehicles over the last 26 years. We are a “Full-Service” dealership, which means we do more than just sell Cars, SUVs and Trucks we also have a state-of-the-art Car Repair Facility, a full-service Body Shop and a Ford Car Parts Department that maintains over ½ Million Dollars in inventory. What does that mean to you? It means that we will take care of you after the sale, no matter what your automotive needs are. We're located at 208 Hansen Blvd, North Aurora, IL and a quick drive from Oswego, Sandwich, St Charles, Naperville and the greater Aurora, Illinois area.

If you are looking for a Pre-Owned or Used Car or Truck, Fox Valley Ford is the place to go. With hundreds of pre driven vehicles at the North Aurora Auto Mall, finding the right vehicle for you is no problem. Fox Valley Ford offers three classes of used cars and trucks; Ford Certified, Gold Check Certified and as-is vehicles. Not only does Fox Valley Ford carry a large selection of pre-owned Fords, we also carry other popular domestic brands such as Chevrolet, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep and imports like Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai. Be sure to take some time to browse our great selection of certified and pre-owned cars, SUVs and trucks.

Fox Valley Ford can also arrange very competitive financing for your new or pre-owned vehicle. We have over thirty local banks like: Ford Motor Credit, Harris Bank, Fifth Third and PNC Bank to name a few. We are also an Elite member of CUDL (Credit Union Direct Lending) witch means if you belong to a Credit Union in the CUDL program, we will be able to handle all of your finance needs on behalf of your Credit Union. Even if you do not currently belong to a Credit Union, we may still be able to qualify you for low Credit Union interest rates.

Fox Valley Ford is a “Full-Service” dealership, which means we do more than just sell cars; we also have a state-of-the-art Servicing Facility employing 10 ASC Certified Technicians, two of witch our Master Certified Technicians. Fox Valley Ford has three full time dedicated Diesel specialists, two certified Hybrid specialist, five transmission specialists and a Certified SVT specialist. With plenty of Rental Cars and shuttle drivers Fox Valley Ford Service customers will have very little inconvenience when it’s time for a repair. Fox Valley Ford also has a Fast Lube Oil Change department with NO appointments needed and we maintains over ½ million dollars in Parts inventory witch means we probably have that Ford, Lincoln or Mercury part that you need.

Fox Valley Ford also has a full-service Body Shop with certified body and paint specialists. We work with all insurance companies to get you back on the road quickly.

What does all of this mean to you? It means that Fox Valley Ford will take care of you during and after the sale, no matter what your automotive needs are.

Thank you for viewing our blog– if you have any questions please contact Fox Valley Ford at 630-907-3100.